Owain I
Owain I of Pryce was the first leader of Kordowyn following the death of Sir Badger in the year KOR 14, and the first ruler of Kordowyn of the Pryce Dynasty. Owain Pryce was the first of the native Kordynians to work with the Acrenians and adopt feudalism, throwing out the old tribal ways. Owain was chosen to lead Kordowyn due to several reasons, the main reasons being his wealth and power, as well as the fact that it was felt that a Kordynian would be better suited to lead, rather than an Acrenian, in order to avoid rebellions and the like from the local populations. Owain Before Badger's Landing Prior to Badger's Landing, Owain Pryce was the leader of the powerful Pryce Clan, a Kordynian tribe that lived in and controlled the areas that now make up the counties of Kordowyn and Pryce. Owain was a peaceful man, preferring trade and diplomacy with the other Clans over war and disputed. Working With the Acrenians When the Acrenians arrived they had far superior technology to the Kordynians, and as such Owain saw the only way forward for the Pryce Clan was to work with the Acrenians, as he felt they would be crushed by the Acrenians if conflict broke out due to technological differences. As such, in KOR 8, Owain Pryce swore fealty to Sir Badger and adopted feudalism. Later that year, various treaties were made between Owain Pryce and Badger. Mainly, the Pryce lands were split in two, with the new County of Pryce being granted to Owain Pryce, while Badger retained the County of Kordowyn. Also as part of these deals, and as a gesture of friendship and peace, Owain married his second wife, an Acrenian noblewoman named Anne Moore. With Anne, Owain had three children: a son, Alisander (who would go on to inherit the Duchy of Kordowyn in KOR 29), and two daughters, Maredudd (named after Owain's first wife) and Morgyn. First Duke of Kordowyn Disputes in the Ruling Class Following the death of Sir Badger in KOR 14, Owain Pryce was chosen to lead Kordowyn after various disputes and debates as to whom would inherit. The Acrenian clergy and the Acrenian merchants, as well as a handful of Acrenian nobles, debated among each other about who would fill the role of Lord of Acren. The clergy wanted to establish the Acrenian Church as the center of politics, with the Archbishop of Acren becoming leader (this would be a constant dispute between the ruling class of Kordowyn and the Church). Meanwhile, the Merchant Guilds wanted to create a merchant republic out of Kordowyn, however they soon dropped this and in exchange for various trading rights, most merchants supported the nobility. By the end of the year, the nobles won out in Kordynian politics, with Owain Pryce at the forefront. By December of KOR 14, Owain Pryce was the most popular candidate to fill Badger's vacant seat, and a reluctant clergy agreed to a coronation on the 31st of December. The following year, a brief civil war broke out in Kordowyn, as a group of Acrenian nobles, seeing Owain Pryce as a heathenish barbarian (due to him not being Acrenian), attempted to overthrow him. The Acrenian nobles were defeated by the summer of KOR 15, being stripped of their titles and being replaced by Kordynian nobles. Post-Civil War Consolidation and the Rest of Owain's Reign In the fall of KOR 15, Owain Pryce created the Duchy of Kordowyn. Initially the Duchy only consisted of the two original counties of Kordowyn and Pryce (the County of Kordowyn was now controlled by Owain after Badger's death the previous year), and Owain primarily focused on consolidating his power within the small Duchy. Firstly, Owain implemented tax codes in order to begin proper taxation within Kordowyn, as well as levies in order to create a proper standing army. Owain used much of the new tax money in order to stimulate early urbanization in the County of Kordowyn, as well as in KOR 23 construction began on the Kordynian Citadel, the first military base of Kordowyn. Owain Pryce passed away of a natural death (due to medical science being poor, exact cause of death is unknown) in the early spring of KOR 29, leaving the small Duchy of Kordowyn in the hands of his more militaristic son, Alisander Pryce. Category:Historical Figures Category:Kordowyn Category:People